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2022 Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k

11 Ranked Colleges
182 Degrees Awarded
$22,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Geography is the 144th most popular major in the country with 5,476 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across Illinois, there were 182 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in geography. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great geography programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the geography program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Geography (Income $75-$110k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also took the #2 spot in our “Best Geography Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $16,784 for illinois geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geography at Northwestern University

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k. University of Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

UChicago also made our “Best Geography Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for UChicago is $17,929 for Illinois Geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full UChicago Geography Report

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 20 ’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also made our “Best Geography Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $21,998 for Illinois Geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UIUC Geography Report

#4

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #4 spot on the list. Northern Illinois University is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

NIU also took the #7 spot in our “Best Geography Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Illinois University is $21,425 for illinois geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full NIU Geography Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geography degrees to 38 students in 2019-2020.

SIUE did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Geography Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $18,928 for illinois geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Geography at SIUE

#6

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 14 ’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

EIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Geography Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $19,147 for Illinois Geography students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Eastern Illinois University.

Read full report on Geography at EIU

#7

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Illinois State University is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 31 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois geography students whose families make $75-$110k list, Illinois State has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Geography Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State is $25,379 for illinois geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Geography at Illinois State

Northeastern Illinois University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Northeastern Illinois University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois geography students whose families make $75-$110k list, Northeastern Illinois University has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Geography Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern Illinois University is $22,526 for Illinois Geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Geography Report

#9

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Augustana College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rock Island, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 17 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Augustana, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Geography Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Augustana College is $23,730 for illinois geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Augustana College Geography Report

#10

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois

Elmhurst University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Elmhurst, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s geography degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois geography students whose families make $75-$110k list, Elmhurst has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Geography Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Elmhurst University is $23,604 for illinois geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geography at Elmhurst

#11

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. DePaul University is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 14 ’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois geography students whose families make $75-$110k list, DePaul has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Geography Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $30,877 for illinois geography students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend DePaul University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geography at DePaul University

Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Couleur.

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